Dragonball Z: REALISTIC GRITTY EDITION: BOOK 1: THE SAIYAN SAGA
by SmokingBun
Summary: A rather strange DBZ AU. It's the DBZ story but Goku lives in Japan and competes in the MMA style Freestyle Battle Tournament, Bulma is from Germany and was taught by Dr Gero at MIT, Kami is an alien sorcerer who talks to God/The Kaio BUT also leads the SPACE UN, Chi-Chi is a lawyer, Planet Vegeta is intact, Ginyu Force Jeice is a girl. I was 12 when I when I wrote this! Sorry!
1. Chapter 1: Oh Brother! Where Art Thou!

**Author's Note: **Two things, I'm from India and I wrote this when I was like 12 or something (now 30). What you are about to read was my attempt to "modernize" or "Hollywood-ize" the Dragonball Z story which I and presumably you have been a huge fan of since forever. Honestly, the story is pretty cringy and ridiculous now that I have gone back and read it again but thought it might be fun to share it anyway.

It's four chapters and so naturally unfinished but was supposed to cover the entirety of DBZ and I suppose Super as well if it had existed back then. Not sure what I was thinking besides that since I had a head full of Hollywood action movies, this naturally Japanese comedy-action product needed to be more "REAL! AND GRITTY! AND EPIC!" It's set sort of in OUR world but with a Star Trek style space government thing going on, I literally turned the Namekians into a Vulcan pastiche for instance.

Just wanted to share it with the world and if you folks like it, I may add to it and even finish it. Please provide your own inputs and ideas too.

**PROLOGUE**

The World

In the year 1975, humans were successful in making contact with a sentient green skinned humanoid alien race that called themselves Namekians after their home world of Namek, present in the Sirius system about 7 light years away from Earth. First contact was made through the use of radio signals using the SETI system that made contact with a Namekian research vessel. The signals came from the far side of the moon. After constant incoherent signals for an entire hour, the researchers were shocked to hear a voice speaking in what sounded like English, the first words that were heard were, "We are Namekians. We come in peace and request an audience with your people." This message became a sensation as analysts realized these beings were one step ahead of them.

A message was sent to the ship in English requesting it to land in a secluded location in the Nevada Desert. Scientists reveled in the glory of making contact, skeptics called it the end of the world and religious people considered them heaven sent. Despite some protests, the military sent a contingent of tanks just in case something went wrong. The Namekians arrived in an oval vessel with shining silver like exterior, flattened bottom, pointed nose and two large thick downward curved wings that also served as landing support. Four concentric circles were present on the underbelly giving off a blue light and seemed to suggest an anti-gravity device. From the front portion of the ship a platform descended hanging from four cables and on it were three aliens.

The spectators, news reporters and military personnel were shocked at their appearance, not because they were ugly but because they looked so much like humans themselves. The only differences were green skin, two antennae sprouting an inch from the head, pink patches both above and below the arms and elbows. Finally, their most sinister feature was their fangs and claws. The first human that went up to them and shook hands in what would become one of the greatest moments of the 20th century was none other than United Nations Secretary General, Kurt Waldheim. It was quite surprising to him that when he offered to shake hands with a male of the Namekians species, he readily accepted and spoke in a warm voice as if the two were old friends. The Namekian or rather Korak as he introduced himself said that he was a scientist and was a member of an ancient race that had evolved far beyond destructive tendencies and emotions that humans so readily glorify and cherish.

They were not here as invaders or as beings claiming to be a higher form of life and try to force the humans to accept their ways. They were a peaceful race looking to be friends and hopefully share culture and technology. The most humorous part of the enlightening conversation was when a Namekian child standing next to his mother exclaimed, "Not all aliens are ugly or evil mister!" Mr. Waldheim laughed much to the amusement of his or rather the earth's guests. Proving the fact they had been watching them for quite some time and human culture was of the great interest. Unfortunately, the meeting would have been perfect were it not for one trigger-happy soldier present. Out of panic, one of the tanks opened fire. It headed straight for the ship but instead it exploded in mid air. The shell had it the force field that crackled with electricity for a few moments before becoming transparent once more.

Korak's expression changed to anger as he politely excused himself and attacked the tanks with green spheres of energy that only destroyed the turrets leaving the rest intact causing the frightened soldiers to escape their vehicles. Korak swiftly returned and apologized to Mr. Waldheim for having to see to that to which his response was, "On the contrary. It is we who should apologize for not being able to leash ourselves." Waldheim laughed, Korak and his family smiled. Thus, a great interplanetary friendship began.

Over the years the Namekians shared many secrets of the universe with them, they introduced humans to the concept of Ki energy, energy present in all living beings that could be harnessed through mental training. Humans learnt to perform many kinds of energy attacks much like the ones Korak demonstrated on that day, now known as Day of First Contact. In fact, even flight was attainable using this energy and is considered one of the simpler techniques. This Ki energy as well as the their own physical strength was the sole reason why they never developed any military technology unlike humans who even after learning the use of Ki energy still depend upon technology for war due to the amount of dedication and training required.

They also introduced humans to the Arcadians; red skinned tall and white haired neighbors of the Namekians whose culture resembled a highly futuristic human society. Thus, on the eve of the formation of the United Nations, the Milky Way Union was formed, an organization that handled all interplanetary relations between the three races. This organization consisted of three representing members of each race along with five advisors from various fields. The headquarters of this organization is present in Sydney, Australia

All seemed well; however, a famous Arcadian political figure was once noted as saying, "As far as the current state of the galaxy is concerned, we (all three races) now exist in a utopia of sorts, safe from any major catastrophe. But we must not forget that before a sea is torn apart by a storm, it is eerily calm just like our galaxy is today" As predicted, the universe will be rocked by not one but several catastrophe's and the only thing standing in it's way will be a group of fighters led by a man named Goku.

**CHAPTER 1: Oh Brother! Where Art Thou?**

Bali, Indonesia. Present Day. A large gray, Bell Pelican V2 prototype craft lands in a beautiful courtyard of palm trees with the rising sun against the sea as a background. The craft is shaped like a large sea bird with short wings and a large body powered by 4 propulsion jets that can be turned in any direction giving off an orange glow, 2 on the ends of the wings and 2 more on either side of the long yet broad tail which itself ends in a vertical "V" shape. The majority of the front is a Plexiglas covered cockpit where 4 can be seated and a larger custom modified seating area at the back. The landing gear consists of 3 large skis that come out from the hull of the craft. The roaring engines come to a halt, the dust being blown settles, a door slides open from the left side and a set of stairs unfolds.

A young woman, of approximately 34 years, wearing a black two piece suit with a blue blouse, descends from the stairs moving with the grace and elegance that her peers expect her to display. A dignified old man slowly walks towards it; the dust kicked up by the rotor blades nothing more than a minor annoyance. As the blades grind two a halt, the two figures silently approach each other.

The old man speaks, "AH! Am I dead? For an angel has appeared before me, take me oh ample bosomed one."

Pat came the reply, "Listen old man, you look like you're late for an appointment, with the grim reaper, so lets make this fast"

They both stared at each other for a moment and instantly burst into laughter. The previous exchange was part of an old game they played which would be too tiring to explain here. The woman with the blue hair, Bulma made a respectful bow, both hands joined together. The old man, Master Roshi blessed her. Bulma quipped, "Ah! It feels nice to be back here after such a long time. Sydney is not a place for peace and quiet."

"Yes, nice to see you too Bulma, I don't get to se such beauty quite often. Hahaha!"

The old man laughed, in his youth he used to be bit of a womanizer but unfortunately he believes he still has that old charisma. In fact Bulma probably would not treat him with much respect unless she had met Goku and Krillin who had told her many good and great things about him. They entered the sacred school and went into one of the many training rooms where they were met with a familiar face. A 5-foot tall, lean and muscular male wearing an orange karate-gi was doing pull ups with his legs wrapped around a pull up bar, straining to lift up his head each time. Bulma walked up to him as silently as possible, the moment his head went back down, Bulma cam into full view and screamed, "HI! KRILLIN!"

This startled him and the poor fellow fell to the ground with a thud.  
"BLOODY HELL! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

Bulma replied with great enthusiasm, "Nice to see you're still short and bald"

"Yes. Nice to see you too. So how's the business?" he replied dryly, stroking his head.  
Bulma continued, "It's doing well thank you very much. Where's Goku?"

No one present knew the answer. However, just outside, a man in a simple jeans and shirt with a small child, about 9 years old on his shoulder and a traveling bag was walking down the dirt road which led up to Master Roshi's school. He walks in gingerly towards the small group and is greeted by his old friends. Goku bows to Master Roshi as Bulma plucks the child from his shoulders and begins to baby him, "Hey Gohan! Remember me? I'm your aunt Bulma." The child laughed in her arms

Krillin inquired, "Hey! How come Chi-Chi didn't come?"

Goku replied, "Busy with office work as usual, being a criminal lawyer is not easy"  
Bulma quipped, "I'll say, I even offered her a spot as a corporate lawyer at Brief Incorporated. She would have to hit the books again but I told her about the benefits and stuff. She declined saying that she would rather help regular people as a criminal lawyer than some big company afraid of losing a few million dollars."

Bulma teases him, "Hey Goku! Is Chi-Chi still giving you a hard time? I offered to marry you instead and if you had agreed then, you wouldn't have to take so much abuse. I'm very understanding!"

Goku quips, "Hahaha! No thanks! I'm perfectly happy with her plus her cooking is great!"  
The group continued to talk about how they had spent their days since they last met.

A loud explosion is heard outside. They rush out and are shocked to see the southern-most part of Roshi's school blown to bits. Master Roshi screams, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

A lone figure floats above the wreckage.

Goku shouts a warning, "HEY! WHO ARE YOU? WHY DID YOU DO THIS? PICCOLO! IS THAT YOU?"

The figure floats down before them, an alien humanoid wearing what appears to be some sort of samurai inspired armor sans helmet, a green visor on his left eye fastened to his ear and his most defining feature, long unkempt black hair that ran all the way down to his knees. The alien speaks, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Raditz and you Kakarot, are my younger brother. I have come to take you back home"

**1 YEAR AGO**

We travel to a planet several hundred light years from earth, Planet Vegeta. The Capital City of Bellum, a vast metropolis stretching as far as the eye can see, under a black/purple sky with towering spiral skyscrapers is a magnificent palace from where the King of all Saiyans, Lord Vegeta rules supreme. We pass through the vast neon lighted corridors to reach the quarters of the crown prince Vegeta, future ruler of the planet. He is wearing what appear to be black trousers with white knee length boots, a large white armor like vest, flanked by shoulder pads with the coat of arms engraved on the chest. He is working on a device that projects a holographic image of heavenly bodies and analyses physical features; the planet he is currently looking at is our own. He sits with one hand on his cheek pondering, "Nice place…. If all goes well…. I might visit it someday. However, I've heard that the inhabitants are pretty violent"

A small, pen shaped device attached to his ear begins to glow he places his hand on it and speaks, "Hello? Anyone there?"

A haggard voice echoes from the other side, distorted by magnetic interference, "Ve…geta! It's me… Ra…ditz. Don't worry, I'm… secure channel … safe… talk"

The prince scowls; somehow this old acquaintance had broken through the security network and opened a secure channel directly with his communicator. However, it was an amateurish attempt at best as the sound was horribly distorted. He could barely make out what Raditz was saying but deduced that he was in some kind of trouble and desperately wanted to meet him at an abandoned flight pad in Industrial Junction 24, a rather desolate and dark part of the city where only the lowest life forms reside. He ends the call and promptly leaves the castle. However one should not be fooled into thinking that he actually cared for what happened to him, this was merely a source of amusement. As he flies over the vast cityscape a wave of nostalgia hits him regarding his destination.

The defunct metallic hulks and factories that lay strewn about the landscape chant a tale to those who wish to listen, during the Civil War that consumed the greater part of his people's history, Industrial Zone 24 housed the headquarters of the resistance movement known as the "Order Of Paragus". When his father, King Vegeta, sworn preserver of the royal blood came to know of its location after years of struggle, took the horse by the reins and led a massive attack led by himself and his good friend Bardock famous or rather infamous for his work in bio-chemical warfare.

He ought to have known; he was there, watching silently from the sidelines as a young lad. As he approached the smog ridden, pest infested black hole, he noticed the light from a fire was seemingly cutting through the smog. That was the signal, crude yet effective. He landed nearby and noticed that Raditz wasn't waiting for him. "Oh, who's this? Looks like a pretty boy elite."

Vegeta turned around to see a gang of thugs waiting for him. He was surprised they did not realize who he was and dared challenge him. He started to move towards them and the look on their faces when he came into full view amused him. Vegeta cocked an eyebrow and spoke venomously, "Would you kindly repeat that?"

Before a rather one-sided fight could ensue, they were interrupted by the arrival of Raditz who was quick to explain the awkward situation.

"Sorry Vegeta, I had to play a little trick on you. I had to make sure you were not followed."

He tells the gang to leave so he could speak with Vegeta in private.

"I asked you to come here because you are the only one I trust anymore. I'm leaving the planet, to find my brother, Kakarot. It was quite unfortunate that he had to suffer the same fate as you. We found you but he was lost. The records show that he apparently went off course and headed somewhere towards the outer reaches of our quadrant."

Raditz had lost Vegeta during his long explanation and triggered a memory that he wished never existed. For a moment he started blankly into space before literally bursting into flames, grabbing Raditz by the neck, lifting him up a good few feet off the ground and slamming his body into the large metallic wall behind them. He held him up against the wall, paying no heed to his cries of mercy and slowly tightening his grip, "DON'T YOU EVER! REMIND ME OF THAT AGAIN!"

We now stop ourselves for a moment to explore a bit of Vegeta's past and the fact that he was an unfortunate victim of a war that started before he was born. The old king of his world had died and a dispute broke out between his two sons over who is the rightful heir to the throne. One contender was the current ruler himself, King Vegeta and the other was his brother Paragus. Ultimately the entire planet was broken up into factions and a massive war broke out between the two. King Vegeta ultimately won but Paragus had managed to maintain an underground rebellion. Eventually he was caught and ordered punishment. However, Vegeta could not simply contend with having him beheaded, so he had his son Broly be exiled to the most hostile planet of the quadrant, doomed to be eaten by the wildlife or starve to death.

The rebels were obviously not very happy and carried out an immense raid on the palace losing several men in the process but their intentions were clear. They freed Paragus, stormed the royal nursery and kidnapped the newborn children of the many royals, ministers and friends of the king. Among them were the prince himself and Goku, son of Bardock. The rebels managed to place them in individual pods and sent them off to different parts of the galaxy. An eye for an eye. Most children were never found, presumed dead from lack of nourishment. For 10 long years King Vegeta ordered his men under penalty of death to search the far corners of the galaxy.

One day, while the search party on Planet Bludhaven returned to their ship, one of their men was suddenly attacked and killed by something. That something was a naked 12-year-old Saiyan with jet-black hair with a prominent widow's peak and a face reminiscent of their king. They found the prince at last. As they bowed in front of him out of fear and awe, the little boy formed an evil smirk on his face and laughed. They had to tranquilize him like an animal and take him back to the home world where it took 19 long and painful years until this day to groom him into the respectable member of the royal family he was meant to be.

Raditz continued, "We are getting some outside help. Paragus has made contact with some alien mercenaries led by someone called King Kold. As long as they help Paragus reclaim his throne, the mercs can have anything they want."

Vegeta dropped a coughing Raditz onto the ground, "THAT'S IT? You called me for this nonsense."

Raditz pleaded with him and explained, "It's a little more than a personal matter. Having one more hand in the rebellion won't be such a bad thing. With one more man we may have a bit more chance. The reason you stuck with me even after you found out that I was working for the leftists was because you hate your father, well this is our big chance. You'll still be the prince; free to do whatever you want. I want my brother to experience this new age."

Vegeta had a train of thought, "What if he is happy wherever he is and doesn't want to return?"

He laughed as he saw Raditz's expression change to one of anger and duly reminded him of his weakness, "Compassion, it will be your fall rebel. Don't get so attached to everything"

The two Saiyans promptly left. Vegeta shuddered for a moment, he felt as if he were being watched but shrugged it off as nothing. From a distance, a large, muscular, bald headed figure is seen watching him intensely.


	2. Chapter 2: Death and Reconciliation

**CHAPTER 2: Death & Reconciliation**

The group was a bit taken aback when the hostile visitor called Goku his brother and referred to him as Kakarot. Goku asked grimly, "Who are you? Why did you call me your brother?"

Krillin and Master Roshi tensed up as they felt an extreme amount of energy emanating from Raditz. Bulma lacked this skill but that did not mean that she did not know danger when she saw it. 

Raditz replied, "What do you mean? Do you not know who or more importantly WHAT you are? When you crash landed, your genetic memory should have caused you behave like a wild animal, attacking anything seemingly hostile, yet you seem so complacent. I wonder, have you ever hit your head?"

Goku stared at him blankly but not wanting a confrontation answered, "Yes. When I was really young, I fell off the roof of my house and hit my head really hard. Are you happy now?"

The tense atmosphere became worse as the awkward conversation between Goku and Raditz continued, "Tsk Tsk! Let me clear the fog for you little brother. You see you are part of an alien race called the Saiyans. We are a warrior race who earned a reputation for violence in our little part of the galaxy. Unfortunately, our current leader believes in wasteful things such as democracy and verbal negotiations. You were sent here by accident and now I have come to take you back. Join me Kakarot; help me rebuild the Saiyan race as it was always meant to be. An entire civilization ruled by bloodshed"

Goku would have begun to laugh thanks to Raditz's little monologue that seemed like a piece of dialogue from a bad sci-fi movie were it not for Master Roshi grabbing his arm, "Goku! I think there is something you need to know. Unfortunately, he's right and you truly are an alien yourself. You father or rather adoptive father and my good friend Daisuke found you in that forest in Kyoto as a small child inside of spacecraft. Apart from your tail, everything else about you looked human, so we just decided to call your tail a birth defect before eventually removing it"

Everyone was stunned; Krillin would have joked about Goku being Superman but now was obviously not the time. Raditz continued, feeling confident that the old man's explanation would have knocked some sense into him, "You see, come on Kakarott. Come re-join your true family."

Goku scowled, "Listen, I'm really sorry about your people but I can't be involved in this. My place is here. This is my family. I'm married and I have a son. However, in all seriousness, I do plan to find my roots, just not now and never during a time of war."

Raditz was stunned, a slap in the face, the fact that he was fraternizing with these third rate species amazed him. It was now that he noticed the small Saiyan child hiding behind his father's leg, a brown tail poking out of his trousers. All this disgusted him, "How dare you? You have brought dishonor to the family Kakarott. You broke about a thousand rules by doing this; you have dirtied your pure Saiyan blood. Worst of all you have removed your tail LIKE AN OUTCAST!"

By this time, Krillin had enough and attacked Raditz, "Can't take NO for an answer can you!"  
Before Krillin could even strike, Raditz managed to deliver a swift kick to his chest sending him flying backwards and crashing through the school, "NOOO! Krillin!"

Bulma screamed as she ran back inside.

Without hesitation Goku retaliated but once again the faster and stronger Raditz immobilized him by punching his gut. Goku slumped to the ground screaming in pain as Raditz grabbed a crying Gohan, "Your weak brother! I see your half-breed son has more potential than you do," hissed Raditz

Gohan screamed, "NOO! Let me go! Daddy!"  
Goku pleaded with Raditz to release his son but to no avail. "If you want your son back, follow me and prove yourself to be a true Saiyan by killing your so called friends. I'll be waiting for proof."

He flies off, purposely dropping his visor so that they could find him, Goku stood up, he saw Bulma helping Krillin limp outside, he was holding his hands across a large tear in his leg like something had gone through it with blood gushing out. He screamed in pain, "GAAH! WHAT HAPPENED?"

"He took him! He took my son! I've got to follow him" Goku replied grimly

Master Roshi retorted, "No you can't, there is absolutely no way you can fight him alone."

Goku weighed his options, Krillin was out of commission, Master Roshi was too old and Bulma did not know how to fight at all. Suddenly, laughter is heard in the sky above them as a giant, 7 feet tall, green skinned humanoid descends in front of them, "Well Well! Looks like you have met your match Goku, beaten by your own kind. I always knew there was something fishy about you. Nice to know you are from a race of beasts who consider murder as sport."

Krillin retorted, "aghhh! SHUT UP! WHAT DO YOU KNOW? If I wasn't so badly… gahh!"

Piccolo replied in his usual cold voice, "Spare me the tough guy talk Krillin. Had he not encountered me, he would have reached here sooner. I too tried to fight him off but my attacks had no effect. He's very strong, stronger than anyone we have faced before."

Goku stood up, eyeing the foot taller Namek before him and asked blankly, "Will you help me?"

The rest were a bit taken aback, Piccolo wasn't really a criminal or anything but neither was a he a very good person to know, arrogant, selfish and heartless. Piccolo crossed his arms, cocked his head to the side and smiled, "AAH! Now you're speaking my language. I see you have developed some degree of intelligence since we last met. I'll help you but just this once and only because I perceive anyone stronger than me a viable threat, friendly or not."

Goku nodded in agreement, he picked up the visor and noted that it had alien text written on the side. However, he was able to read it, 'SCOUTER MARK-I' he quoted. He placed it on his left eye, an arrow and a number appeared, stating that a humanoid of power level two thousand was headed due south-east. Goku promptly flew off with Piccolo following behind. Meanwhile, Master Roshi and Bulma helped Krillin get on the Pelican transport and flew off towards the nearest hospital  
We know travel to Raditz's destination, an empty field on the island of Nusa Penida.

"WAAAHHH! I WANT MY DADDY!" cried the Saiyan child much to the bemusement of his uncle.

Raditz had enough and promptly stuffed him inside his pod shaped spacecraft with a transparent blue magnetic sealed door, he also takes out a spare scouter. The small child's cries were muted as he continued to pound on the door, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Filthy little brat!" he mused.

Suddenly his scouter started to beep, "What? Power Level one thousand? 10 meters? But how?"

He looked here and there thinking that Goku had arrived but was nowhere to be seen; he then noticed that the direction was at the 6'O clock position, directly behind him. He turned in shock, expecting to see Goku but there was only his space pod, "WHAT? THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE! A 9 YEAR OLD CHILD CAN'T POSSIBLY BE THAT STRONG! Damn this machine!"

He took the scouter off in anger wanting too crush it in his hands but again the scouter started too beep wildly. He put it back on and saw that there were two humanoids, each of level 2,500 heading right towards him, ETA 2 hours. It had to be Goku and was probably bringing someone else along, "So he wants a fight does he? He'll get…"

A chill ran down his spine as he turned around to look at the crying Gohan once more. The scouter was accurate; he did have a very high power level. Now Raditz was not superstitious but it seemed that a certain legend was coming true right before his eyes, the legend of a saiyan born with such immense power that he had managed to reach an entirely new level of existence. At one point his power became so great that he was literally consumed by it, the legend of the Super Saiyan.

He began to doubt himself and wondered if he should just leave, wondered if Vegeta was telling the truth about his weakness. But his pride would not allow it. He would punish his brother for his sins. After a few hours, his opponents landed, Goku and a Namekian whom he had encountered before. Piccolo removed his cape, turban and entered a fighting stance, "So Goku. What's the scouter rating?"

Goku replied, "Hmm… doesn't look good. He's a good 5,000 as compared to our own 2,500.  
We have to fight strategically or he could simply break us in half."  
Piccolo nodded in agreement as they began their assault. They ran towards as fast as they could straight towards Raditz. In his head Goku planned that he would surprise him by jumping over and fire of his 'Shell Blast' technique. Unfortunately, Raditz seemingly disappeared right in front of their eyes and appeared moments later behind them and delivering a powerful elbow strike to both. Goku skidded of into the ground while Piccolo grunted and somersaulted back to his feet. Goku stood up, wincing from the pain. "Okay, that was stupid!" he exclaimed.

Before they could get a breather, Raditz attacked. Piccolo jumped out of the way in an attempt to dodge while Goku took his blows head on. He managed to block a few strikes but Raditz was too fast and started to unleash a flurry of punches on his opponent. Suddenly, Raditz stopped his assault and leaped away. To Goku's horror a large green energy projectile was headed straight for him. He instantly leapt side-ways into the air as the projectile went just under his head missing him by inches and obliterating a rock some distance away. He landed on one knee, several bruises on his face and a bleeding nose. Piccolo was stunned, still holding himself with one arm outstretched and the other supporting it like a gun barrel. His aptly named 'Arm Cannon' missed. Raditz appeared before him and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that sent him flying.

Raditz turned to face Goku, an evil smile on his face. Goku noticed that he landed right next to the space pod with a crying Gohan inside of it, banging on the translucent wall. His blood began to boil at this sight, "RADITZ! YOU MONSTER! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE THIS!"

Goku entered a fighting stance with his hands cupped to one side as he began to charge, "KA! ME! HA! ME! HAAAAA!" he screamed as he thrust his arms forward releasing the powerful 'Shell Blast' a beautiful but deadly blue beam of energy.

Raditz was unimpressed, as he swiftly dodged the attack and appeared in mid-air. He began to gloat but unknown to him, Goku's beam made a soft turn and struck him squarely in the back digging into his armour and burning the skin beneath. Goku flung himself upwards and deliver a crushing punch squarely in the face that destroyed Raditz's scouter. He fell and landed with a satisfying thump. Picking himself up, he saw Goku staring straight at him and Piccolo some distance behind. He was furious and without any warning extended his arms and fired two large crimson beams of energy at both his foes. The beam was so fast that Goku was caught of guard and received the full force of the attack. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. Piccolo attempted to block it but the beam slowly ate away at his arm leaving nothing but a bloody stump where the elbow begins. He gritted his teeth as he tried to suppress the immense burning sensation in whatever was left of his arm, "HAHAHAHAHAHA! What's the matter green man? You look nervous?" Raditz gloated.

All the while little Gohan watched helplessly as his father was almost blown to bits. He continued to smack at the screen. He saw his father fall lifelessly next to him. He couldn't take it anymore, grief turned to rage, tears to flame, "STOP IT! STOP IT!"

Suddenly the entire craft shattered as Gohan smashed through it and leapt straight for Raditz flying towards him like a burning comet. Raditz was in a state of shock and before he could retaliate in any way, Gohan smashed headfirst into his stomach and fell. The blow was so hard that he coughed blood. He kicked Gohan away but his misery was not over as his back was bathed in an intensely hot energy beam that literally started to melt the flesh of his exposed back. He screamed in pain and retaliated. His fist heading straight for Piccolo's face but he stopped dead, paralyzed. Right behind him was Goku, who had managed to grab a hold of his tail, the metaphorical Achilles Heel, "You see? This why my tail was cut off"

Goku said rather grimly as he twisted it making Raditz fall to the ground in pain. Goku started to repeatedly kick him in the groin, enjoying every moment, every scream. Something dark and sinister had been awoken in him, a Saiyan's bloodlust fueled by his own anger. Piccolo was a bit taken aback; this was an unknown side of Goku. He smiled, "Now you are acting like a true warrior. Treat your opponents as they treat you. Goku! Give me just 5 minutes. That is all I need to charge up an attack I had recently developed. I was going to test it out on you but as you can see. Your brother here is practically asking for it."

Unfortunately, Goku had other plans, "Have you had enough? Isn't this what you wanted? You're sad and pathetic! Does attacking a small child make you feel strong? This is your last chance, leave this planet or my green friend here will do away with you!"

Raditz began to beg for mercy, he cried and pleaded. Piccolo warned Goku not to give in but his conscience would not allow it. He thought they had beat Raditz; he thought that he was truly sorry and deserved mercy. He forgot that Raditz was also a very good liar. The moment Goku loosened his grip Raditz attacked him, Goku anticipated this and managed to catch him from behind holding him in place. Raditz struggled as Goku was holding him with his arms under and above his shoulders. Goku would have told Piccolo to start charging but was surprised to see the Namek already prepared. Raditz started to beg for mercy once more but was harshly cut off by a screaming Piccolo, "NO! NO MERCY FOR YOU!"

Raditz continued, "KAKAROTT! DON'T DO THIS! YOU WILL DIE TOO!"

Goku smirks, "At this point I don't care. If I go down, you are coming with me!"

Time seemed to slow down as Piccolo gathered all the energy into his index and middle fingers held together on his forehead. A green aura started to slowly build up as his energy reached a critical point. Piccolo extends his arm, his fingers pointing towards the target and he shouts, "DRILL BIT!"

A massive green beam surrounded by a spiral shoot out of his two fingers. It hits Raditz squarely in the chest blasting through the other side and through Goku as a massive torrent of blood pours out. The two bodies fall lifelessly next to each other with clean holes drilled through them.  
Piccolo after regaining his composure walks over to them. Gohan crawls over to his father, his eyes filled with tears as he shakes him, "Daddy? Daddy get up! Please don't leave me. Daddy!"  
Piccolo bends down as Goku speaks his last words, "Piccolo … please … take care of my son. Gohan! I… I'm … going away… for a while… be good… and… don't be afraid…." 

"God speed Goku, it was am honor to fight alongside you!" Piccolo mutters.

Piccolo removes Goku's scouter and respectfully closes his eyes, "May you find peace in heaven"

A cackling Raditz, holding dearly to life, ruins the solemn scene, "Oh! Hahahaha! FOOL! You think it's over! OH NO! I'm not the worst but my friends are! They will be coming here! Both of them! IN ONE YEAR! Members of the Saiyan elite! They will murder your men, rape your women and…"

Before he could finish, Piccolo grabbed Raditz's throat and squeezed with all his might. Gohan was still crying over his father. Piccolo decided to do the poor child a favor and lightly pinched his neck, rendering him unconscious. He thought aloud for a moment wondering whether the legendary Dragonballs would be able to help them by bringing Goku back to life or better yet kill the two Saiyans about too arrive.

As he stood up, checking his surroundings, he heard the silent hum of a jet engine as it got closer and closer to his location. He knew who it was. Bulma's Pelican V2 landed gracefully next to the morbid scene. Master Roshi, Bulma and Krillin, now sporting a bandage on his leg descended. They had looks of shock and horror on their faces. This wasn't a battle; it was a slaughter. Krillin ran over to his fallen friend crying out his name, Bulma placed her hand on her mouth and Master Roshi simply hung his head. All was quiet until Piccolo spoke, "The time for mourning is over. In one year, two more Saiyans will arrive, much stronger than our friend here. I'm leaving to train with Gohan, gather your friends."

Piccolo promptly picked up Gohan but was rudely stopped in his tracks by Krillin, "HEY! Where do you think you are taking Gohan? And why should we follow your orders?"

Piccolo paused, Krillin's immature comments irked him but he tried to keep his cool nonetheless, "You see my bald friend, this small child here holds an immense amount of power in that tiny body. Now you either allow me to train him and give us an extra edge in the upcoming fight or you can simply knock on death's door and just in case all that did not get into your head, I have only this to say…"

Piccolo went close and pointed his stump at Krillin's face, without warning his arm seemingly burst out from the stump smashing into his face and knocking him off his feet. As he turned away, a soft voice spoke, "Please, Whatever you do don't hurt him."

He simply grunted and flew off while Krillin cursed under his breath. Master Roshi finally spoke his mind, "What know Bulma?"

She replied in a rather grim tone, "Chi-Chi will simply have to deal with this… inconvenience for now. Meanwhile, I think it's important we listen to Piccolo and call our friends."

**Capital City Bellum; Planet Vegeta. **The Saiyan prince stands on top of a balcony overlooking the neon metropolis before him. A man walks up behind and bends down on one knee, "My prince, I bring grave news. My intelligence tells me that your good friend Raditz has died while on an excursion to a distant planet, Earth."

The prince chuckles and turns to face the massive bald-headed man with a Fu Manchu style moustache kneeling before him. He wore an outfit similar to Vegeta except with golden shoulder pads and black trousers of some sort. He replies, "You know General Nappa, you don't have to be so formal especially considering how long we have known each other. So, Raditz has gotten himself killed and I should care because?"

Nappa stands up, towering over the prince, hard to believe in a fight Vegeta would wipe the floor with him, "You should care because he was your only friend as I was merely assigned as a bodyguard and mentor. However, I am sure you would be interested in the last audio transmission from his scouter, taken just as he died."

He holds up a small USB drive type device and the audio begins to play, "I wonder if the Dragonballs would be able to wish Goku back to life. Most consider it a legend but I know better."

Nappa elaborates, "The audio recorder was turned on for the duration of the fight. There were two against Raditz, named Piccolo and Goku. The latter was killed and apparently the former knows about something called 'Dragonballs' that apparently have magical properties. Now before you laugh, remember that this guy had no idea the audio recorder was on and knew Raditz was dead so it can't be mockery or intimidation. I say it's worth checking out. If it's true then it would be an amazing discovery and you could gain your father's favor very easily, if not then at least it would be a fun vacation, I am sure the locals would be no match for either of us.

Vegeta rolled his eyes not believing a word of it. But on the other hand, if such an artifact with genuine supernatural abilities existed it probably would be able to do more than just bring back the dead. It was also a matter of pride; if he declined then he would look like a coward, "Alright, I feel bored anyway and need some fun. We'll leave tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3: Preparation For War

**CHAPTER 3: Preparation for War**

**12 MONTHS UNTIL ****THE ARRIVAL OF THE SAIYANS**

**A house in the suburbs outside Kyoto; Japan.** A woman well in her prime opens the door expecting to see her husband and child. Instead she sees someone else; her husband's closest friend accompanied by the heiress of 'Brief's Incorporated'. Regardless she welcomes them in, trying not to wonder why the same people her husband left to meet were here and why were they sporting such grim and worn faces. They sit her down and deliver some terrible news. She faints. Several hours pass, the woman is Chi-Chi, one of Kyoto's most influential criminal lawyers, husband to Goku and mother to Gohan. She paces up and down, her reddened eyes still streaming tears. She began to point fingers, "I… I… don't believe this! You! KRILLIN! LOOK AT ME! YOU JUST STOOD THERE! H… HOW COULD YOU?"

She grabbed him by his collar and slapped him right across the face. Bulma gasped while Krillin just stood there taking the abuse. She screamed at him, demanding answers. Distraught, he tried to defend himself, "There was nothing I could do, I… I tried to take Gohan away from him; he attacked me and flew off. Thanks to my accident earlier in the day I was just too weak to fly."

As if the fact that her husband was dead was not painful enough to the point she did not believe it at first but the news story later that day only confirmed their story with Bulma's company confiscating that disgusting alien's body and his ship. On top of that her son had been kidnapped from right under the noses of Goku's friends. She had trusted them but they had betrayed her.

"YOU KNOW KRILLIN! MAYBE TRYING WASN'T ENOUGH! I AM TIRED OF ALL YOUR EXCUSES! Goku trusted you and you have betrayed him. Some friend you turned out to be!"

Krillin was very hurt by Chi-Chi's last comment. He felt as if it should have been him who tried to help Goku fight Raditz and not Piccolo. By this point Bulma had enough, she was tired of Chi-Chi giving him all that abuse and spoke up, "Hey! Leave him alone! I was there too you know! Why don't you blame me? Is it just because you know me better than him? Answer this one!"

Chi-Chi stayed quiet. Bulma was right, she was a lot closer to Bulma, partially because in the early days she used to keep tabs on her thanks to her being in Chi-Chi's words, 'Uncomfortably close to Goku' But after they met each other and talked, Chi-Chi felt re-assured and the two became good friends. Chi-Chi spoke up; "Remember when Gohan was born and you promised me that whenever I was never there for him due to my own commitments that you would fulfill my role."

Bulma shook her head, Chi-Chi was obviously trying too hard not too hurt her. She wondered whether this was because of the earlier statement or because she had a history of being hurt both emotionally and physically. She replied, "Yes, I had made that promise. And I'm sorry that I was not able to keep it. You can either sit here and cry or accept the hard facts. Just know that when those two Saiyans arrive, they are going to hunt all of us down and kill us. We will try and think of a way to stop them. I suggest you do the same. I'm leaving. Call me if you wish. C'mon Krillin"

The duo promptly left, leaving Chi-Chi lost in her own thoughts. At Goku's funeral with Krillin being notably absent, she burst into tears reminiscing about the first time she met her future husband. His sweet, down to earth personality immediately endeared him to her. They promised to get married after finishing their education.

She would become a lawyer while Goku entered into the Pro Circuit of the FREESTYLE BATTLE TOURNAMENT with many a memorable fight including the 18th tourney final against Piccolo who needed up wrecking the stadium in an attempt to kill Goku and was subsequently banned. She fondly remembered tending to his wounds.

Her father never approved of the FBT though, himself being record holding champion boxer Tengfei "The Mad Ox" Chao, that is until Goku proved that it was a skillful sport and not just an exhibition show like Wrestling. All the old feelings came back and the fact that her son may have received the same fate made it worse.

Three weeks after the funeral, we see Krillin at a coffee shop sitting at one of the many wood polished tables with a well built and head shaved gentleman with an intricate tattoo on his forehead resembling an eye. He wore a simple white shirt and a pair of denim jeans, rather simple and basic considering his social status. There was a wood polished counter at one side, with a glass display case showing off the many cakes and pastries available, the air conditioning was at full, the lighting was bright illuminating the pictures of South American explorers on the wall with coffee related quotes scribbled across them and there was a distinct scent of fresh cocoa beans in the air which served to enhance the atmosphere. Tien always had a habit of dressing up in simple casuals, which made Krillin wonder how uncomfortable he must have been only a few days ago when he had to wear a suit for office work. One could describe him as a free spirit.

Tien spoke, "Okay, so we know that two Saiyans are going to arrive soon and turn our lives to hell. It's a personal matter so we can't really expect help from anyone else. I talked about this to Bulma as well and she thought it was quite brave. I was suggesting that Yamcha and I join you, Piccolo and Gohan to fight the Saiyans when they arrive."

Krillin was a bit taken aback, he thought that everyone was as confused as he was but here they are already preparing for war. He was happy that Tien was willing to help but Yamcha's name surprised him. He wondered if Bulma had forgiven him or Tien never actually mentioned his name. Krillin retorted, "Wow! Thanks but Yamcha? No offense, but are you sure?"

Tien smiled, he knew this would come up, "Listen, I know what happened all those years ago. I know what he did was terrible but he's a good fighter and Goku wanted to give him a second chance. So far he has stayed away from most of us. I think he has learnt his lesson. I talked about this to Bulma; she stayed quiet for a moment and reluctantly agreed. I didn't talk to him personally but I know where he is currently. I need you to come with me and convince him"

Tien promptly took out two tickets to the United States. Krillin nodded in agreement.

**10 MONTHS UNTIL ****THE ARRIVAL OF THE SAIYANS**

**The Serengeti; Africa.** Piccolo gracefully lands in the middle of a wide-open plain. There was a watering hole on one side where some zebra's were taking a drink. Some distance away, hidden within the bush, two sets of eyes were watching them intensely. A heard of elephants were calmly moving across the plain, feeling no danger from predatory animals. Umbrella thorn trees were scattered across, a giraffe couple was munching on one while a leopard was climbing another, a gazelle in his jaws, fresh blood streaming down the neck.

Of all the places in the world, this was Piccolo's favorite. Wild, untamed, not a single concrete and steel structure in sight, harsh and unforgiving weather, the feeling of absolute isolation in an extremely dangerous world. Even the primitive human tribes here were so in tune with nature they would seem alien to most. Africa as a whole reminded him of himself. He always used to come here to find peace and solace and wished that the whole world and not just one continent were this way. However, he had no time for sightseeing; he was here to meet someone special.

He flew over to cave once belonging to one of the many beasts that roam these plains but was forcefully evicted. He finds a small child wearing slightly tattered clothing huddled in a corner. He went up to the small child and crouched near him. The child looked up and smiled. Piccolo spoke; "Hello Gohan, I hope you are doing well"

Gohan stood up and sincerely answered, "Yeah I guess. You were right all along. I was bit of a crybaby back when you first brought me here. I feel stronger"

Piccolo smiled, when they had met, Gohan was scared and Piccolo was rude to him. But over the course of the last month they had been talking and slowly developed a bond for each other. Gohan understood why Piccolo had brought him here while Piccolo understood what it meant to care for someone.

Piccolo inquired, "So what have you been doing for the past week."

Gohan replied like a soldier, "Training mostly, I also keep feeling that I'm being followed, I found a village a few miles from here and maybe they were tribesmen. I also had a close call with a Rhino."

Piccolo replied, "You are a pretty tough 9 year old, then again you're not human. This is Africa and those tribesmen probably wanted to know whether you are a friend or foe, not everyday you see something as bizarre as yourself. Also, I did not bring any rations because today I will teach you something very important about life, something your school would probably not teach you because it seems too harsh. But it's true. Life has one rule, 'Kill or Be Killed' and so, today you will kill so that you may eat and live to fight another day. Gohan was a bit taken aback; till now he had never hurt a fly and here Piccolo wanted him to slaughter another creature for food, "Um…. Ok… I have to kill a deer or something?"

Piccolo laughed, "Listen Gohan, when the saiyans arrive, they will have the position of the predators and we will be their prey. So would you attack one of your own or would you prey on the predators?"

Gohan gulped, he felt what was coming. Piccolo saw the old fear rise up once again in Gohan. He liked it because he felt that his raw Saiyans instincts would help him adapt to this harsh environment and it would be better to keep him constantly on edge. Piccolo escorted him outside and handed him a spear, "See those Zebra's at the watering hole. There are two lionesses watching them, ready to pounce. I want you to spook the zebra's, kill one of the lionesses and scare the other one away. If you can pull this off, nothing you see in the future will ever scare you because you would have seen the worst."

Gohan was frightened at what he was supposed to do, he started to move back but Piccolo was watching him intensely. Gohan gathered himself and leapt into action. His heart started to pump faster and faster. The spear flew out of his hand and landed in the middle of the heard, the sudden appearance of this alien predator scared them and they ran off. Gohan landed in the resulting dust cloud and picked up his weapon, the thick plumes hindering his vision. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, his whole body tightened as he heard a low growl. A very big pussycat was right behind him. The lioness lunged but he jumped away in the nick of time. As he landed he noticed his attacker circling him. Just as he was wondering where the other was, he heard a loud roar. The other one was leapt to him but he successfully sidestepped her.

Now both lionesses were in full view. They slowly walked toward him wanting to make a meal of the creature that so foolishly dared to scare their lunch away. Gohan thrust his spear repeatedly in their faces but to no avail. Gohan was frightened; he felt death drawing near. The lioness to the right leapt towards him, he tried to dodge but it managed to slam its paw into his chest ripping his clothes and the skin underneath apart. Gohan howled in pain as he was thrown to the side. He clutched his chest, he was bleeding, the pain was intense, and his vision went blurry. He looked franticly around for his weapon as the other lioness came closer and closer. His breathing started to get ragged and he looked at his bloodied hand and chest before blacking out.

**A tavern just outside Denver; Colorado; United States of America.** It's midnight and the only patron left in the low class tavern is a 32-year-old Caucasian male drinking his umpteenth beer, his head hung low. The barkeep silently cleaning glasses knowing the kind of lowlifes that come here keeps an eye on him. Suddenly, the door opens and two males walk in. They take up the bar stools on the opposite sides of Yamcha. One of them is Tien who quips, "I know you like to low but this is a bit much. It took a month to find you"

Yamcha grunted, "What are you doing here Tien and why is this bastard here?"

Tien chuckled while Krillin simply scowled, "Listen, forget the past we are here to discuss a serious matter. Goku's dead. He was killed by an alien of the Saiyan race, turns out our friend Goku was a member of this race too. Do you understand?"

Yamcha began to laugh hysterically; Krillin balled his fists while Tien warned him with a hand signal not to do anything drastic. Yamcha spoke in a drunken stupor, "Oh! That explains a lot. No wonder I always felt that he cheated, he was stronger than normal. Maybe he'll be banned from the tournament or something, oh wait! He's already banned from life… hahahaha! Serves him right!"

Krillin walked out of the bar saying that he would wait for them outside. Tien scowled, "You did on purpose, didn't you! Why are you so intent on hurting people? There was no need to talk like that!"

Yamcha lifted his face up to talk to him, "No… you're wrong, I don't hurt people, they hurt me and I just give them the treatment they deserve. Goku's not my enemy and I feel truly sorry for what happened. But that Krillin, he looks all innocent but trust me he's not"

Tien leaned to the side, putting his elbow on the table and his hand on his cheek, "Really? I thought it was you doing the dirty deed and not Krillin. Why do you hate him so much? What happened?"

Yamcha passed a hand through his hair, "You wanna know what really happened that night? You know it was during the 16th tournament and my last one too. A few hours before the incident, I saw Krillin chatting up Bulma like they were boyfriend/girlfriend yet they barely knew each other back then and only met about a year ago. I eavesdropped on them, you can't blame me for that I'm just paranoid. Anyway, Krillin tells Bulma that he doesn't like me, that he feels that I'm not the right kind of person for her. I mean who is he to talk like that? Bulma tries to defend me, saying that I'm just overprotective and that is a good quality and stuff like that. But Krillin just won't listen. She then starts to believe him and says that she might even break it up.

Later that night, she comes to MY room and starts to talk about breaking up and how she feels that I'm not right for her. So we get into an argument and it got to the point that I slapped her really hard and she fell to the floor. I said some things and then suddenly, the big hero busts into the room, he sees us like that and without warning he attacks me asking just what the hell I was doing. The guy punches me so hard that I fall to the ground. Bulma freaks out and screams that I was trying to rape her. Then Goku bursts in and the rest is history, it's not his fault. Who would you trust?"

Tien nodded and retorted, "Something tells me you are not telling me the whole story. I know you better, mostly because I have been the intermediate between you and Goku. You told me that you had gotten physical with her and threatened her. You're not totally in the clear. Not to mention I convinced Bulma not to press charges and Goku let you off the hook provided you stayed away from her."

Yamcha stood up, "Okay! Maybe I was wrong, maybe I got physical but that doesn't mean I would rape the woman I love, I would never sink that low. Krillin however had no business meddling in my affairs. If Krillin had kept his trap shut, Bulma would still be with me. But don't worry, like I said, anything for the guy that got me out of serving time in prison. I'll fight for you and Goku."

"Then we are in agreement," quipped Tien.

**The Serengeti; Africa.** Gohan woke up screaming, he was on a straw matt. He was sweating profusely and there were bandages wrapped around his chest that still hurt. There was a girl next to him who tried to make him lie down saying something along the lines off, "You must rest now, you are hurt"

Gohan complied, as he lied down once more Piccolo walked in, "Good work Gohan. You killed a lioness with your bare hands. The one that attacked before you blacked out impaled itself on your spear. They call you; 'Tiny Hunter' appropriate for you. You can stay here until you are fully healed, then it's back to training. Enjoy yourself for now."

Gohan smiled, he was very tired and as he fell asleep his last thought was,

"I miss my video games."

Piccolo goes to a secluded area on top of a small mesa where he telepathically communicates with someone, "Well old man, regardless of his power he's still a little kid and won't be able to take much abuse. I'm doing what I can but someone with your resources should be able to round up an army. I also know that you have no choice but to care because if I die, you're coming with me."


	4. Chapter 4: Trouble in Paradise

**CHAPTER 4: Trouble in Paradise **

**9 MONTHS UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE SAIYANS**

**Briefs Incorporated Headquarters; Los Angeles; United States of America.**

Inside there is a large top floor office with windows taking up two sides. A couch and a large view screen towards the side and a desk in the center. We see Bulma Briefs, one of the most powerful and influential women in the world, staring at pictures and documents regarding the recovery of Raditz's body and ship on her computer. The body was kept secure and preserved in a military bunker. The ship was in this very building being examined by handpicked engineers and scientists in the R&D department. Only the scouter was kept personally with her. After months of tinkering she managed to make a replica that used the earth-based measurements and symbols. Nothing but a glorified GPS cum Geiger Counter except instead of radiation it could read Ki energy and assign a numerical value to it.

Next to the monitor were a couple of picture frames, one of her parents and another of Goku. She picks it up and sighs, a hint of grief and regret. There was a time when Goku fascinated her; having met him in the tournament his humbleness and humility surprised her. Maybe Goku was just polite and that seemed alien to her because even Yamcha was bit obsessive. Not to mention in her college years she had a hard time thanks to her good looks. Some called her a bimbo; some called her easy, even a slut and some even dared to say that she got into the institute through bribes being from a rich corporate family as opposed to her genuine knowledge.

Now she chuckles as those poor souls who are stuck in dead end jobs while she went on to become an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) graduate and is counted amongst some of the most brilliant minds on the planet. But then there was Goku and even Krillin for that matter. What they lacked in physical wealth they made up by being good, honest people. No malice, no hate, no ulterior motives and would never thinking of exploiting someone. Clearly she hung out with the wrong crowd.

Her life would have been complete had she built up the courage and expressed her feelings for Goku. But it was too late. Chi-Chi took him. She cried on the wedding day. On one hand she was happy for the newly weds but deep down she felt life kicked her in the stomach. One might call her greedy considering the amount of wealth she had but almost everyone in the Fortune 500 agrees that money truly does not buy you happiness. After you have bought all the gold sports cars and the crystal castles you come to a crushing realization of how empty and pathetic your life truly is. The tale of King Midas comes to mind.

She was lost in her thoughts, her eyes red with tears when suddenly her desk intercom beeped. A female voice on the end spoke up, "Ma'am, there is a Dr. Gero here to see you."

Bulma gathered herself and told the secretary to let him in. She stood up and walked to the door which opened to reveal a dignified old man well in his 60's wearing a navy-blue business suit, short white hair and his hands firmly behind his back. They shake hands and embrace.

They sit down on the plush couch as Bulma asks, "So professor. What brings you here today?"

Gero looks around and replies in a serious tone, "Before I say or do anything, I need to know that we are not being monitored."

Bulma smiles, walks gingerly to the adjacent wall. She accesses a practically invisible panel with an array of switches and turns all of them off. She sits back down, "I am pretty sure it's safe"

Gero smiles, "Well then. Let be get to the point and say that I have been made aware of the fact that your close friend Goku has died, his murderer is too but two of his friends are coming and threaten the lives of everyone involved including yourself."

Bulma's face turns a pale white, for a moment she imagines the entire room suddenly exploding as a result of an attack from the Saiyans.

She blurts out a reply, "H… How do you know this?"

Gero maintains his composure, "An old acquaintance of yours, Namek's representative here on earth, Kami, has taken an interest in your predicament and shall we say recruited me to help all of you out."

On one hand she feels relieved, on the other it's not surprising that he of all people would know about something like this. The question is why would he care? How does this benefit him? The first and last time they met was, to put it lightly, run an errand for him. She replies with a flat, "Why?"

"Several reasons. One is the fact that you are clearly outmatched, two because this could very well turn into an interplanetary incident considering the Saiyans are distant and isolated but violent. I believe the only reason he chose me was because I know you, in the same field relatively speaking and as I was told, you don't exactly have a very positive opinion of him. Not to mention, he has also contacted three others, one of whom was there with you when the alien appeared. I know this is a lot to digest but you must trust me. When I requested for proof he showed me images captured by a satellite and other classified data." Gero explained.

Bulma stood up rubbing her head. She cursed to herself as she came to terms with the sheer insanity of the situation not to mention death loomed in the horizon. Then again, someone, somewhere clearly gave a damn. Even if it were for personal gain, they were trying to help. She would have thought of contacting Dr. Gero if she were willing to put her lifelong mentor at risk. She realized something was a bit off however, "Wait a minute. If Mr. Kami is fully aware and even has proof then why not inform the other representatives, mobilize the military, why should we even put our lives to risk. They travel in those little pods, blast them in space!"

Gero dejectedly puts his head down and answers, "You think I didn't ask those questions? He replied that it would be a grave overreaction, akin to using a cannon ball to kill a fly. For some reason he is confident in our abilities, his 'chosen ones'. I'd say he is crazy but he does have a point. They are only two humanoids and not an army.

Worse yet they could literally drop into any part of the planet, we can't exactly expect every military force in the world to mobilize and prepare as if a huge invasion was coming and many people would laugh saying you want the National Guard to protect you from the school bully. Even still we would never get the drop on them. As for blasting them out of space, well the first one was not detected, why would the other two? Apart from a few people no one even knows that something like this has happened."

Bulma slumps back down into the couch after an hour of pacing frantically around, "Figures. So we are on our own then and we need a plan."

She closes her eyes and rubs her fingers against the sides of her forehead as if literally turning the gears in her mind. She perks up and looks towards Gero, "Remember Project Übermensch?"

Gero smiled as he patted Bulma on the back, "That's my girl. Now, let's get to work."

**8 MONTHS UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE SAIYANS**

**Somewhere beyond the realms of space and time**

We see a beautiful grassy field; the sky seems frozen in eternal sunset as a light breeze blows across the plain. We see a small suburban house and some distance away a cherry blossom tree with some petals being blown away by the wind. At the base of the tree, a young couple seems to be having a private moment. We move closer and see that it's Goku sitting with his back against the tree with a woman, Chi-Chi lying on top with her arms around him. They whisper sweet nothing's into each other's ears and giggle.

The scene is suddenly interrupted as an old namekian man wearing traditional robes appears before them. Neither of the two seem to notice him until the old man begins speaking, "Goku! Your friends are in great danger and they need your help more than ever. Please, listen to me!"

Goku's expression changes to a frown as everything begins to literally melt away and he is left sitting in a featureless white expanse. He stands up and faces the guest, a tinge of grief in his voice as he remembers everything he left behind. When he came to this realm, thought by some to be myth, he was told that he need not feel grief, sadness or pain ever again and could live in eternal bliss forever. Unfortunately, it seems that fate had other plans. He responds, "I know Kami. I know that my friends are in danger but what can I do? If I could I'd be back down on earth face the threat head on but… I'm forced to sit here and watch."

The old man replies, "It doesn't have to be that way. The dragon balls can bring you back. And to give you a fighting chance, I have some special training in mind."

Before he can continue however, they are interrupted by a booming voice, "What are you doing?"

Suddenly a man in a maroon suit with black tie and a cane appears out of thin air. He looks at the old man with an expression of distaste; his voice has a slight English accent with a low echo, "Kami, bothering the afterlife again are we? And Goku, I thought we talked about this. I told you that as long as you keep any form of earthly attachments you would never be happy and it would drive you insane. You can't go back. You just have to accept this."

Kami retorts, "Lord Enma, it is very important that Goku return to earth. The dragon balls can in fact bring him back to life."

Lord Enma sighs, "Ah yes! The wonderful dragon balls, what better slap in the face of creation itself than an artifact that allows you to bend reality to your will. The fact that they are hard enough to find doesn't seem much of a deterrent as people have invented devices specifically to find them, beautiful. Now even if Goku does return to earth, so what? I doubt a few push ups would help turn the tide of battle".

Kami becomes furious but tries to control his composure, "That is why he will be trained by the North Kai himself."

Enma begins to laugh, "North Kai? Seriously now, why would he do that? As per cosmic law, that would be cheating. The Kai are higher celestial begins who maintain order in the entire galaxy. Why would he even consider getting involved in something so insignificant and petty?"

Goku retorts, "If it's so insignificant then I'm sure it would be no trouble for him. Surely he must be omniscient and omnipresent. I'm sure a few months mean nothing to those who rule over the cosmos."

Suddenly, uproarious and joyful laughter is heard, "I like this kid."

A stocky blue man with a rounded face, two whiskers on each side, no nose, solid black spectacles and elf like ears appears before them. He is wearing what appears to be a simple black robe with the celestial symbol for 'North' written in a large white circle in the center. Enma and Kami immediately bow down on one knee in reverence and respect uttering, "My Lord!"

Goku simply smiles and offers a handshake. North Kai smiles and returns the handshake, "Good to meet you young man. I am the celestial lord of the northern sector of the Milky Way galaxy. Since that's a bit of a mouthful you may simply call me North Kai or preferably King Kai as I like to feel important once in a while."

He laughs heartily, speaking with a voice and demeanor more suited to Santa Claus than a supremely powerful being. Goku responds in kind, "You know, it's nice to meet one person in the afterlife who doesn't speak pretentiously. I am 10 times Freestyle Battle Tournament Champion, Goku. Pleasure to meet you too."

Meanwhile Kami and Enma have worried looks on their faces as if they are about to be struck down by the gods themselves.

King Kai turns to them and declares, "I will train Goku."

Enma protests but is quickly shot down as King Kai responds, "I am fully aware of the laws of our world Enma, having written many of them myself. And if what you say is true then it becomes my duty to train this man. The Saiyans that will arrive shortly are incredibly powerful. If balance is to be maintained then Goku is to be elevated to that level. It's only fair."

Goku and Kami graciously thank North Kai as he and Goku teleport away. Kami shoots Enma a smirk as he too melts away leaving Enma with his thoughts, "Well that was embarrassing. Maybe torturing a few evil souls will cheer me up."

**A Secluded Castle seemingly built straight into the Himalayan Mountains**

In the far corners of the fortress, behind two wooden double doors is an empty circular room, candles outline the circumference of three concentric circles with various occult symbols drawn on them and within the smallest circle, an old Namekian man sits cross legged and meditating. He opens his eyes as if awoken to some disturbance and proceeds to walk out of the double doors and into an ornate bedroom where changes into more formal attire, one better suited to the cold weather.

He walks out into a long hallway with stone walls and wooden flooring. The entirety is lit by light strips along the floor which provide a moody atmosphere worthy of a spy novel. He is greeted by an African American male wearing military fatigues with winter camouflage. He reports, "Sir, they have arrived."

The two walk through a large entrance area adorned with a massive chandelier with various soldiers in uniforms similar to Mr. Pollock's either stand guard or go about their routine business. They proceed outside into the blizzard where a tilt-rotor aircraft has just landed and dropped three passengers wearing snow suits complete with goggles protecting the eyes. They are escorted by soldiers towards the old man who greets them, "Welcome gentlemen. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

As they walk inside, having removed their face coverings we see that they are Krillin, Yamcha and Tien. Only Yamcha seems amazed and perplexed by the sheer beauty and scale of the facility, the other two having been here before. He wonders the purpose of building it as he quips, "Damn! This is some hidden fortress. I wonder if he has a princess locked up in here."

Krillin and Tien roll their eyes as he emphasizes 'Hidden Fortress' while he retorts that it was a genuinely funny and intelligent joke. Tien questions their situation, "I don't like this at all. Since we first met I knew Kami wasn't just some regular politician, this guy has way too many secrets and ulterior motives for this to be healthy. Not to mention he is a literal wizard, I wonder if this training is just some magic potion that will make us super strong."

"Or maybe it will just kill us. The last time we were here was to clean up his failed experiment. This is a guy who would trust random people as opposed to an army or mercenaries because the former would draw too much attention and the latter can be bought." Krillin replies.

Yamcha provides his own opinion with a hint of venom in his voice, "You know I wish I was invited to adventures by a shady politician who may in fact be a real-life sorcerer but obviously I have been a bad boy and given timeout till eternity."

Tien stops himself from laughing while Krillin just looks dejected. Mr. Pollock comes up to them and orders, "I hope you boys are done admiring the place. Now come with me."

Pollock leads them to what appears to be a large cargo elevator, they enter and it begins to descend for what feels like an eternity. Meanwhile he gives them a small history lesson, "This castle was built about 12 years ago. It was originally intended as say a summer home for Kami. However, about 3 years back we discovered some form of power surge coming from several hundred feet beneath the solid rock. Like someone had buried something down there. We dug straight down creating this elevator shaft and then forward until we hit an artificial barrier, it was completely smooth like an egg shell. We dug around and found what looked like a doorway with a strange jelly like silver film acting as a divider of sorts."

They listen with much intrigue until they reach the bottom where they are shocked to see everything that Mr. Pollock had just explained. They walk along the wide path and come to the silvery doorway. Yamcha is mesmerized and tries to touch it but Pollock holds him back as he finishes the story, "This dome is a machine, one that replicates the mechanism of a pocket dimension. We don't know who created it or why and for what purpose. But we do know that past this doorway is an eerie white expanse where time has been slowed down to the point that one month in real time equals one year inside."

He wickedly smiles at the look of disbelief and shock on their faces as he adds a final note, "We like to call it the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Bit of an in-joke among the people here."


End file.
